Colorado
11-17,2-15Big 12
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Kansas
19-9,10-7Big 12
Buffs Battle it Out with Kansas, Fall Short at Home
February 24, 2025 | Men's Basketball
BOULDER – In front of a packed house inside the CU Events Center Monday night, Colorado kept it close with Kansas throughout the game but could not pull off the win in the final minutes, as the Jayhawks held on to a 71-64 victory over the Buffaloes.
The Buffs fall to 11-17 overall on the season and 2-15 in Big 12 play. Kansas improves to 19-9 overall and 10-7 in conference play.
"Our guys battled tonight," head coach Tad Boyle commented. "There's no doubt about it. You don't out rebound KU by 15 if you don't come to battle. And that was one of the keys of the game…our guys battled, and they played hard, and I don't fault our effort. I don't fault our toughness. We just have to be more consistent in various parts of the game, not just one on any given night."
Bangot Dak led the Buffs on the offensive side of the ball tonight, putting up 16 points on 7 for 10 shooting along with five rebounds. Dak was a force in the paint, slamming it home four separate times.
Julian Hammond III chipped in 11 points while shooting 2 for 5 from beyond the arc. He also led the Buffs on the night with three assists.
Hunter Dickinson led the Jayhawks with a season high 32 points and 13 rebounds on 13 for 18 shooting from the floor.
Neither team could find their footing shooting from deep in this one, which led to a plethora of points scored in the paint. Combined, the two teams scored 74 points down low (38 KU; 36 CU).
Colorado shot 26-68 (38%) as a unit on the court, while Kansas shot 26-53 (49%) overall from the floor.
Despite the loss, Colorado outrebounded Kansas 46-31 overall, along with 18 offensive boards to Kansas' five offensive rebounds.
The Buffs also had more second-chance points (16-1) and bench points (20-6) than the Jayhawks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Dickinson claimed the first bucket of the game for Kansas, while Dak answered for the Buffs on the other end. After four KU points, Dak scored the Buffs' second bucket of the contest. An 8-0 run in the next 1:54 of gameplay by the Jayhawks put them up 14-4 with 15:51 left in the first half.
Colorado cut the deficit back to seven with just under 11 minutes to go, but a deep 3-pointer from David Coit made it a 26-16 KU advantage with 9:19 left in the period. Back-to-back Dak dunks for CU forced a Kansas timeout at 8:40 with the Jayhawks still holding the lead, 26-20.
The second Jakimovski three of the game cut the Jayhawks' lead to four, 32-28, with 2:14 left in the half. A Javon Ruffin layup as time expired in the first half made it a 37-32 game headed into the break.
Rancik registered the first basket of the second half to bring the Buffs within three points. Hammond III tied the game at 37 at the 16:41 mark with a nifty euro-step move while getting fouled in the process, converting the following free throw. Hammond III gave CU its first lead of the game, 39-38, the next possession with another score down low. Kansas responded with a quick score before heading into the media timeout at 15:06, retaking the lead 40-39.
Buffs' Felix Kossaras knotted the game up at 43 with 12:45 on a tough driving layup that was goaltended. A three-minute scoring drought for the Buffs put Kansas up 51-46 with under 10 minutes left, until a deep 3-pointer from Hammond III made it a one-possession game once again.
Both squads continued to trade buckets down low with KU clinging on to a 59-55 lead with five minutes to go. A stellar Dak put-back dunk at the rim made it a one-score game. The Jayhawks went to the line for three free throws the next possession, sinking all three, building the lead back up to five. A Hammond III corner three was the response from CU, continuing to keep it close down the stretch.
A 5-0 run from Kansas under four minutes had the Buffs trailing 67-60 with just over a minute of game action left. Another Dickinson bucket for KU put the game out of reach for the Buffs, as they would fall by a score of 71-64.
UP NEXT
Tad Boyle and the Buffs will play on the road Sunday in Manhattan, Kansas, to take on Kansas State at 2 p.m. MT.
